Time is tight for everyone. It can be tough to take a step away from your busy day to serve as a job reference for somebody else. But you may not realize there are several hidden advantages to acting as a job reference that could not only help a former colleague — they might even help you at the same time.
You Might Get Your Next Job Thanks to a Job Reference — for Someone Else!
Here’s a trade secret from the recruiting world: The best candidates are often people who aren’t actively looking for a job at the time — and a great way to find those people is by talking to the job references for people who are on the job hunt!
[See: 25 Awesome Business Jobs for 2016.]
It’s true. Recruiters love to connect with a job reference, run through a set of questions and then inquire about the reference’s own personal interest in considering a new role. This is because a quality candidate’s job references are often quality job prospects themselves — and recruiters know it.
So the next time you’re asked to serve as a reference, don’t just think about why it’s helpful for the job seeker — remember that it can be a way for you to network at the same time. You might even come out of it with a great job offer for yourself.
You Get What You Give, So Pay It Forward
The input that employers get from job references is an essential part of gauging the soft skills that potential candidates will bring to the workplace. As the Wall Street Journal recently wrote, “Companies across the U.S. say it is becoming increasingly difficult to find applicants who can communicate clearly, take initiative, problem-solve and get along with co-workers. Those traits, often called soft skills, can make the difference between a standout employee and one who just gets by.”
Only references who have actually worked with a person can share an unvarnished, real-world view into how a job candidate interacts in the workplace, approaches their job or demonstrates their work ethic. Everything else — from a job interview to a personality test — is solely presented and shaped by the candidate.
[See: 10 Things Your Mom Didn’t Teach You About Job Searching.]
Because employers increasingly recognize the powerful need for the right soft skills on the job, the reference check is being elevated in the hiring hierarchy. This means that you are likely to both need job references more frequently in the future — and that you will be called upon to provide references more frequently as well.
It’s also important to point out that many states have rewritten the laws that protect references when they provide candid feedback. This is another reason why it’s easier for references to reassert their central role in the recruiting and hiring process.
Even though serving as a job reference can take some extra time that you may not have — do it. You will be doing a valuable service for the person for whom you’re providing a reference, and potentially setting yourself up for reciprocal reference support down the road.
And by the way, giving references is going to get easier and easier because …
Technology Is Making the Job Reference Experience Smoother, Better and More Candid
Job references fell by the wayside for many employers because of the limitations of reaching references by phone. References were often hard to contact and frequently felt constrained in what they could share because of human resources rules laid down by their current employers, suggesting that they shouldn’t provide any information beyond confirming dates of employment and other basic facts.
This has now changed dramatically. The next time you’re asked to be a job reference, it very likely could be through an online portal (perhaps even accessed from a mobile device) that ensures confidentiality. The emergence of online reference checking has opened up a whole new frontier for obtaining honest and detailed reference feedback.
[See: 10 Job Resolutions to Revitalize Your Career in 2016.]
This growing trend — plus the increasing desire by employers to better ascertain soft skills and past worker performance (since employers know that past performance is the best indicator of future results) — are coming together to bring reference checking back to the forefront of the job searching and hiring process. Be ready — this is another reason why you’re going to be needing more references in the future and will be asked to give more of them, as well.
The bottom line: Make time to give job references when you’re asked. It’s a better process than ever and for all the reasons outlined above, you’ll be glad you did.
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Should You Be a Job Reference? originally appeared on usnews.com
